The European Astrobiology Network has been formalized in Spring 2001 during the First European Workshop on Astrobiology co-organized with ESA at the ESRIN research facility in Frascati, Italy. It is an affiliate partner of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. EANA was created to coordinate the different European centers in astrobiology and the related fields. It is involved in various topics such as Origin of Life, Life in Extreme Environments, and Astrobiology in Space.
EANA has several objectives, such as: bring together active European researchers, promote astrobiology to European funding agencies, promote research on extremophiles, interface with the Research Network with European bodies, attract young scientists, and promote public interest in astrobiology.
Founded in 1961, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) is the government agency responsible for shaping and implementing France’s space policy in Europe. Its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research. It operates from the Toulouse Space Center and Guiana Space Centre, but also has payloads launched from space centers operated by other countries. CNES is member of Institute of Space, its Applications and Technologies. As of April 2018, CNES has the second largest national budget of all the world's civilian space programs, after only NASA.
The Space Exploration Institute, SPACE-X for short, is a non-profit research institute located in Neuchâtel. Expertise of the staff covers several fields of science and engineering, including planetary science, astronomy, geology and system engineering for space science instrument development.
Space Exploration Institute Goals are to develop the Space Exploration Activity, in particular to develop the research link to the planetary exploration by:
-Perform research on the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Europa included studies on the ices deposits and past or present life traces (Exo/Astrobiology)
-Contribution/Elaboration of science proposals in order to participate to the future missions which explore the solar system
-Develop the Science Instruments link to this research
-Operate the on-board instruments, process, analyse the science data output
-Promote science to the public, at schools , colleges, universities over Neuchatel, Switzerland and around the Earth.
The laboratory of Physics and Chemistry of the Environment
and Space, LPC2E, is a common research unit of Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the University
of Orléans. It belongs to Institut des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU)
of CNRS, and is a founding member of the Observatoire des
Sciences de l’Univers en Région Centre (OSUC).
Research activities at LPC2E encompass three distinct
domains: space plasma physics, physics ans chemistry of the terrestrial atmosphere and
of planetary environments, radioastronomy.
As a full-fledged component of the university and recognized by the CNRS, it is part of the national network of the observatories. The activities of OSUC encompass the fields of earth sciences, environment, ecology, and human / environmental interactions.
The Région Centre-Val de Loire is located in the centre of France. It includes 6 départements: Cher, Eure-et-loire, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, and Loiret. The two major cities are Tours and Orléans, the administrative capital. The region is famous for its numerous castles (Chambord, Chenonceau, Cheverny...) and for its cathedrals (Chartres, Bourges, Orléans and Tours). From the economical point of view, the region is also the first European region in grain sector. It is particularly concerned by science and technology and it supports scientific projects in many domains. The region is known for its pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies (the Orléans-Chartres axis is called the Cosmetic Valley) as well for its plastics industry.
The French Astrobiology Society aims at federating French research in Astrobiology and strengthening collaboration, thus contributing to national and international initiatives, fostering interest for this discipline among young scientists coming from different fields, and at diffusing information on Astrobiology to the general public.
A territorial, economic accelerator
The Public Interest Group Loire&Orléans Eco came into being in 1995, becoming thus the only French body to associate the totality of territorial communities, the Loiret Department, the CCI, the Udel Medef and Dev’Up (a regional economic agency created following the Notre law).
This association of expertise and knowledge can thus accompany, support and connect all businesses in the department, playing upon its attractiveness for setting up new businesses.
Just to give some numbers, in 2018 Loire&Orléans Eco examined 293 new installation or extension projects. The fifty projects that were selected mean that 1500 new jobs could be created over the next three years.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA is an international organisation with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
The University of Orléans is the second oldest University in France after Paris Sorbonne. It was officially founded by the Pope Clement V in 1306. Nowadays, it teaches to more than 18 500 students in various domains and employed more than 1400 people (2018). It is split in 4 teaching and research units (UFR): literature, languages and human sciences, law, economy and management, sciences, and sciences and techniques of sport and physical activities. It includes 4 technological institutes (IUT) located in Orléans, Bourges, Chartres and Châteauroux-Issoudun), as well as the Ecole polytechnique Polytech'Orléans, and the Ecole Supérieure du Professorat et de l'Education. In association with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), it also includes the Observatoire des Sciences de L'univers en Région Centre. Its actual president is Ary Bruand.
The French National Centre for Scientific Research is among the world's leading research institutions. Its scientists explore the living world, matter, the Universe, and the functioning of human societies in order to meet the major challenges of today and tomorrow. Internationally recognised for the excellence of its scientific research, the CNRS is a reference in the world of research and development, as well as for the general public.
The Center for Molecular Biophysics (CBM) is a key participant in the development of biophysics in France and Europe, and the largest research laboratory in the Centre Region of France.
The Center was founded in 1967 to set up interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, biologists and physicists, with a research focus on understanding the specific properties of biomacromolecules.
Researchers at the CBM, working at the physics-chemistry-biology interface, seek insight into the structure, dynamics and interactions of biomacromolecules, at different levels: in vitro and in silico, but also in vivo, as it is at this level that the challenge for the coming years lies. This approach entails searching for the causes of macromolecular dysfunctions which trigger the development of certain diseases.
The Europlanet Consortium was formed in 2013 and included over 100 organisational members linked through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that agreed cooperation for the mutual benefit of European planetary science. The Europlanet Consortium MoU expired in August 2018 and will not be renewed. The consortium has now been superseded by institutional membership of the Europlanet Society.
The Europlanet Society promotes the advancement of European planetary science and related fields for the benefit of the community. The Society is open to anyone with a serious interest in planetary science, including researchers, industry, amateur astronomers, educators and outreach providers from European countries and around the world.
